What makes a good custom knife?
by: Jim wade
Total views: 7
Word Count: 525
What makes a good custom knife?
There is an old proverb which says "A knifeless man is a lifeless man". During the old times, each and every individual was supposed to carry a knife all the time. Things are different in these days but the necessity of having a good knife remains same as old times. A hand made knife can be both beautiful as well as a life long treasure for anyone.
The things required to make a good custom knife include the steel, its look and the grip. Steel is the major component as the blade is normally made of it. The Carbon content of the steel helps the blade to become very hard. This type of steel is called Carbon Steel. Other kinds of steels used by knife makers include stainless steel, which also has carbon but is also has some other alloys as well which prevent the blade from rusting. High Carbon steel is very good if you want the edge of your knife to be really sharp as well as remain sharp. High carbon steel can rust if not cared for properly, but its sharpening is very easy, and very fast. It can be formed into different profiles without much difficulty. Some hunters and collectors prefer blades that are made of 1095 high carbon steel, while others prefer stainless.
A knife blade can be ground in various ways but the sharpest way, or so they, is the hollow ground. It is ground so the blade becomes concave along the. It is done by making a tiny wedge below the centre point of the knife and it gives concave sides that are very very sharp.
There are various materials that can be used for making the handle of the knife. Few of them are micarta, hardwood and stag. It is important to have a proper handle with good balance and grip so that the performance of the knife is not damaged by it. A knife with a stag handle can be very sturdy and it will not reduce the functionality of the knife in any manner. The handle can have, mother-of-pearl inlay which makes it very beautiful and one of its own kind. Such knives are not found very commonly and they have great aesthetic value as well. The knives with an authentic mother-of-pearl inlay handle can be a little costly because of their creation style.
There can be a number of blade profiles with about two main types of edges,. Double edge, and single edged straight knives, Curved knife etc. Double edged are knives which have an edge on both the sides and are mainly designed for use as weapons. They can be very long and narrow does not make it very popular for hunting or kitchen use.
Single edged knives have one edge which is straight. They can be made of various lengths which makes them depending on the length suitable for a lot of jobs. The control of these knives can be very good depending on the handle length to blade ratio. The upper edge of theses style of blades can be false point, clip point or semi double.
www.TheWritersOnline.com
(Read or Write Your Way to Big Success)
About the Author
Jim wade is author of this article on custom knives.
Find more information about custom made knives here.
Rating: Not yet rated